Life and politics from the Sunshine State's best city

Vern Buchanan

In the wake of Sunday night’s massacre in Las Vegas where nearly 60 people died, Florida Republicans are indicating they will support a gun-control measure. South Florida Rep. Carlos Curbelo said he will introduce a measure to prohibit bump stocks, a device that modified rifles to allow them to fire faster. Several of the 23 guns used by Stephen Paddock in his shooting spree were equipped with bump stocks. Sarasota area Republican Vern Buchanan indicated Thursday that he would support such legislation.…

Republican James Buchanan keeps racking up endorsements for his House District 72 campaign, and Wednesday he added the one of the biggest names in Florida Politics to the list in U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.

Help is on the way to Florida’s citrus growers who have seen crops devastated by Hurricane Irma. That’s according to Sarasota Congressman Vern Buchanan, who says House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady assured him that his legislation — the Emergency Citrus Disease Response Act — will be part of the next hurricane relief package Congress will consider next month.

Sarasota businesswoman, philanthropist, and community activist Rita Jouniari announced her candidacy for the special election in the House District 72 seat, becoming the second Democrat to join the race. A Boston native, the 50-year-old Journiari has worked for much of her career in health care, beginning with Aetna U.S. Healthcare.

Florida Democrats now have a candidate vying for the open House District 72 in the Sarasota area recently vacated by Republican Alex Miller. She’s attorney and community activist Margaret Good, who announced her candidacy over the weekend.